Potatoes au Gratin

Thinly sliced potatoes layered with garlicky cream and baked until golden — the classic gratin dauphinois of southeastern France. As the potatoes bake, the starch they release thickens the cream into a thick sauce.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs potatoes (Yukon gold or russet), peeled
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 clove garlic, pureed
• Salt and pepper

Roasting & Baking

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Frying in the Oven→

Method

Do not rinse these potatoes. Everywhere else in the book, rinsing away surface starch is the goal; here the starch is the whole point, so slice and go straight into the dish. Slice thin and even — about ⅛ inch — so the layers cook through at the same rate and settle into each other instead of staying loose.

Slice the potatoes

Preheat the oven to 325°F and butter the inside of a baking dish. Slice the potatoes about ⅛ inch thick and do not rinse them — you want the starch. A mandoline makes this fast and even, but slicing thin with a sharp knife is fine.

Assemble

Toss the potato slices with the cream, pureed garlic, a solid pinch of salt, and pepper — there is no need to warm or simmer the cream first, as the oven does that work. Spread the potatoes into even layers in the baking dish, pressing them down so the cream rises to just below the top layer, and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake and rest

Bake 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes total, removing the foil for the last 20 minutes so the top can brown; it is done when a knife pierces the center with no resistance and the top is deeply golden and bubbling at the edges. Let it rest 30–45 minutes before serving — this is not optional, since the sauce is loose straight from the oven and needs time to thicken so the gratin sets up and slices cleanly.